The Last Throw
by nautika
Summary: The story of the march to the Black Gate movie and book verse from the view of a family man who made the journey. Written for the 'Me Myself and I' Teitho challenge


The Last Throw 

By nautika

K+  
Author's Notes and Summary:

Following "The Last Debate" in The Return of the King, Chapter 10 says, _"…the army of the West was all assembled on the Pelennor. … All was now ready for the last throw."_

This is the story of the march to the Black Gate (movie and book verse) from the view of a family man who made the journey.  
Disclaimer: This fanfiction is based on the works of JRR Tolkien and the movie his trilogy inspired.

"You gave me a mighty good welcome home last night! I've said it already, but I've thought a lot 'bout everyone since I left. I told you 'fore I left why I had to go, you remember?"

"Good, that's good. Well, now I want to tell you all 'bout it. I want you to listen close so you can tell your children some day, and then they can tell theirs. There will be lots of different tales told 'bout this battle and 'fore you get out and hear things from other people, I want you to know the way it really was, you hear?"

"No, love, they are all old enough to know and it's important that they understand. The Dark Lord is gone, and they need to know 'bout the price we paid to be rid of him. And they need to realize it wasn't just done by men of Gondor. The men of Rohan came, and Rangers from the North, and Halflings from the land of small folk, and three Elves, one gold haired and the other two dark and looking like each other's reflection, and there was the wizard Mithrandir, and a Dwarf, and they all fought just as hard and were just as brave as the men of Dol Amroth or Lossarnach or of the Tower Guard!

"Now, the less interrupting we have, the faster the tale will go, but if you think you don't understand something, you ask, you hear? I want you to be able to tell this right when you tell it! Everyone ready? Get comfortable now; I don't want no squirming and no fussing.

"Well, we left when the trumpets sounded early that morning, and we marched steady and was at Osgiliath 'fore noon. A sad sight it was, too. Didn't look like no Fortress of Stars, it didn't, not anymore. I can't hardly imagine what it looked like in your grandfather's day. Well, anyway, we stopped for the night 'bout five miles past Osgiliath, but them on horses rode on ahead. Felt strange, it did, to see King Elessar, and the Wizard, and Prince Imrahil, and all them ride off and leave us behind. Some of the men complained 'bout it, but I thought to myself, who would want to be closer? I knew we'd get to that Gate soon enough and all them complainers, they'd be quiet then, they would.

"The next day, we caught up to them at the Cross-roads. They set a good guard, they did; and then the Wizard and King Elessar led us to the Morgul Vale and we burned the fields and destroyed the bridge! Felt mighty good watching those flames from that dark place shoot up toward the sky, I'll tell you.

"Now, we had 'bout a hundred miles to go 'fore we reached the Gate and none of us knew what might happen or when, but we marched out in the open, and we marched proud! Every now and again, the Wizard ordered the trumpets sounded and there would be a cry saying the Lords of Gondor had come and telling anyone there to leave. After a time, they changed it to 'King Elessar' instead of 'Lords of Gondor'. Some took objection to that, they did, saying the king wanted all the glory for himself. I thought, now how would he get that when anyone with eyes could see all of us with him? It's not like we'd come home and say he done it all single-handed, now was it? I think it was just the captains' way of letting the Dark Lord know we have a king again. You remember that if someone should say different, you hear?

"Anyway, the longer we marched and the closer we got, the heavier the evil seemed to lay on us. We all felt like something bad was 'bout to happen. Finally, the fifth day after we left the City, a big group of Orcs and Easterlings attacked us, but the scouts had warned us and we were ready. The ones we didn't kill, we drove into the hills. We felt better for awhile after that, but word got back to us that the gold haired Elf – a prince from Mirkwood, he was - had spotted the Nazgul following us.

"You have a question, daughter? Well, let's hear it."

"What's the Nazgul? Well, they were a group of fell beings who rode on big flying creatures that were as evil as they were."

"No, we didn't see or hear them then, but that awful feeling of dread came back, it did. Don't know if we'd of felt it if we hadn't known 'bout the Nazgul, but by the time another day had passed, some of the men couldn't take it no longer. The sight of the marshes and the desert on top of that feeling of doom pressing on us was just too much. They couldn't go no further.

"By now, I'd made my way closer to the front. I'd give it some thought and decided I'd heard enough complaining and I wanted to know as much as I could 'bout the king so I could tell it later and tell it right. I was sure glad I was there.

"You'd have liked what the king did, love. He didn't yell at them men or do anything to embarrass them. He knew some of them were a far cry from home, and he knew most of them had been raised on stories 'bout the evil in Mordor. They'd already come a good distance with us and every one of them had meant to go all the way. The king didn't send them home in shame. He sent them to Cair Andros and told them it would be the last defense of Gondor and Rohan, and that they should see it held. He gave them back their pride and instead of leaving with their heads hung low, they left with a purpose. They can sit in front of their children the same way I'm sitting here with you and not be ashamed. He's a good man, love, our king. And I want all of you to remember that!

"We moved on slow. The heralds still called out, but didn't get no answer. Now we were a smaller group, though still thousands, we stayed closer together. Scouts didn't go out no more."

"There's nothing to be afraid of now. I'm here. Sauron, the Dark Lord, is gone. This is just how it came to be that way. Do you want me to stop a few minutes?"

"No? None of you? Well, I'm mighty proud of you for that.

"Well, we made camp that night and we set fires all around, but I don't think nobody slept at all. We kept hearing things, but we couldn't see much 'cause there was stinking smoke that came up right out of the ground. It was mighty cold, too. The next morning we headed off in the same direction the other Halflings would have gone. I know, 'cause I heard the Wizard and the king talking 'bout it. I was that close to them by then, I was.

"The Black Gate was closed, and there was nothing or no one to be seen around anywhere. It was all quiet and still, it was. It was early day, and to tell the truth, most people there didn't have no hope. But I did. I'd been watching and listening to our new king and I thought even if we did all die, that somehow he might make it back, and even if he was the only one that did, I knew he'd make sure all our families were alright. I had that much faith in him, I did. And in the ones who traveled with him. I knew for certain that the Elves, the Dwarf, and the other captains would die defending him. I swore right then, I'd do the same thing, 'cause that was the best thing for Gondor.

"Finally, we noticed the Nazgul hovering around like scavengers just waiting for us to die. We knew there had to be enemies hiding everywhere, but they never gave no sign. The king spread us 'bout as best he could, then he rode toward the Gate and with him went the Wizard, Prince Imrahil and Eomer of Rohan, who Theoden King named as king in his stead, and the elves. The Dwarf rode behind the gold haired elf and the Halflings rode with Eomer King and with the Wizard.

"They all looked mighty small riding off like that, they did, but when they got to calling range of the Gate, they let loose the banner with the White Tree and sounded their trumpets and the heralds cried out for the Lord of the Black Land to come forth 'cause the King of Gondor wanted him to atone for his evil deeds and leave for good.

"It was quiet for a long piece; then, just as they looked like they were going to head back to us, we heard a great rumbling noise that we finally figured out was drums. Then horns sounded so loud that the stones trembled and we put our hands over our ears as best we could while holding our weapons, we did. Then all of a sudden, the Black Gate creaked and moaned, and through it rode the ugliest thing I ever hope to see. He was on a black horse and wore a black cloak. I heard later he was called The Mouth of Sauron, and I could see why. Only part of his face you could see was his mouth and even from as far off as I was, you could see teeth as big as your fingers almost.

"Now, don't you laugh, boy! This is nothing to laugh 'bout. He was a worshipper of the Dark Lord and meaner, they say, than any orc. No knowing how many good men died 'cause of him and his evil ways."

"Well, I'm mighty glad to hear it. Now you just better mean it."

"Good enough. It takes a big person to say they're sorry and own up to their mistakes like that. Your mother and I are mighty proud of you, we are."

"Now, where was I?"

"Thank you, little bit, for reminding me. The Mouth and the King, they had quite a staring contest, it seemed to me. Then, the Mouth, he moved away. Then he and the Wizard exchanged some words 'fore the Mouth held up a knife and a couple of pieces of clothing. We heard one of the Halflings cry out, and then the Wizard made a grabbing motion. I wouldn't want to make a wizard mad, I wouldn't, but I reckon the Mouth wasn't worried much 'cause we heard him laugh. There was some more talk 'tween the Mouth and the Wizard, and then the next thing we knew, the king just rode up to him and cut his head clean off his shoulders!"

"Oh, I am sorry, love. I just got carried away."

"No, you are right. I never meant to say how he was killed exactly."

"Yes, love, I will be the one to get up with them if they have bad dreams. I am sorry, children, to have spoken so plainly. But he was an evil one, and now he is dead and cannot bother you except in your dreams and that's something to be grateful for, it is."

"What happened next? Well, son, the King spun around, all angry like and said something to the others, then the Gates opened wider and we heard the king order them to fall back. We could hear the thump of our enemies' feet. When the Gate opened enough, we could see hordes of the enemy and behind and above them on a tall tower was a glowing light. Heart stopping sight, it was. We looked at each other and not one of us pretended we weren't afraid.

"Then King Elessar spoke. I'll never forget what he said and I won't have you forgetting it, either! He told us to hold our ground, and when he knew we were watching him, he rode back and forth in front of our lines. When he spoke to us, it was like the king looked right down into our souls.

"Sons of Gondor! Of Rohan! He said. Then he called us his brothers. He said he could see the same fear in our eyes that would take his heart. He said, just like this: The day may come when the courage of Men fails, when we forsake our friends and break all bonds of fellowship,but it is not this day. An hour of wolves and shattered shields when the Age of Men comes crashing down, but it is not this day! This day we fight! By all that you hold dear on this good earth, I bid you stand, Men of the West!

"And we did. We stood tall. And then his horse reared and he held his sword high. You could hear all those swords ringing as we pulled them free. Then King Elessar turned to face the enemy; they'd been coming out all the time he'd been talking, they had and they were slowly surrounding us, but it didn't faze him none.

"He just stared at that far off glow from the Eye for a bit, and then he turned, smiled, and said 'For Frodo' like Frodo was a great king or something. Next thing we knew, he was charging and those little Halflings were crying For Frodo at the top of their lungs and running off right behind him. 'Course, it didn't take long for most of us to pass them by, but I felt kind of bad doing it, I did. They were awfully brave, they were, and it weren't no shame to them that their legs were shorter. 

"After the battle cries stopped, there was just the twang of bows as arrows were fired and then we were all smashed together close and there was the clash of blades. I'd be fighting with one person beside me, then another. Sometimes I'd stumble over … well … there were a lot of really brave men there at that battle. I'm proud to have fought with each and every one of them, I am.

"Seemed like there must have been ten times as many of the enemy as there were of us and just when I thought it couldn't get no worse, there was the Nazgul. Then the Eagles came and it seemed like there was real hope 'cause the Eye turned and the Nazgul fled. I just happened to be facing the Wizard when it happened. I don't know a lot 'bout wizards, of course, but it seemed to me he looked worried, and I thought the Nazgul leaving should have give him a whole different look. I know I wasn't looking worried. I was looking relieved, even with all those Easterlings and orcs and all still there doing their worst.

"Then there was these fierce roars and I saw King Elessar get this stunned look, like he just couldn't believe his ears. Guess he'd had dealings with trolls 'fore and knew the sound. That's right…like we didn't have enough trouble already, now we had trolls to fight! There was one particular troll that just made a beeline for the king, like none of the rest of us were even there. There wasn't so much as a drop of blood on its sword, there wasn't. Anyway, the king stepped forward and met that ugly beast blow for blow. I was trying to get closer to help, and I could see the prince from Mirkwood was pretty desperate to get to him, too, but there were too many enemies 'tween us and him. When that troll backhanded the king and he flew back across the field, I thought my heart would stop, I did. I know Stewards have ruled Gondor for nearly a thousand years, but I'd seen enough of this man to know Gondor needed him. He was going to make a difference, he was. And I thought for sure he was dead.

"Then, I saw him raise up and I saw Prince Legolas shoving men and orcs to the side and trying to get a clear aim with his bow. Then, I got pretty busy taking care of my own neck-"

"Now, don't be that way 'bout it, love. I was being careful as I could, but it's our place to guard our king, it is.

"Anyway, next thing I knew, that troll was running off like a rabbit being chased by a wolf, and some of the orcs ran off, too.

"Then the Wizard cried out for us all to stand and wait. He said it was our doom. And it sure felt like it, 'cause the earth started shaking. But right then, the Towers at the Gate and the Gate fell, and there was this sound like a long roll of thunder. All of a sudden, I felt like a burden had been lifted off my heart, and I looked at the good men around me, and I could see in their faces they felt the same.

"The Wizard said the realm of the Dark Lord was ended and those of us that could looked to Mordor. It was a terrible sight, it was. Smoke and fire came out of the mountain and I swear, above the Eye, the clouds just spun in a circle, like a cat chasing its tail.

"It was all madness and confusion."

"Yes, love, I'm fine. I just got quiet 'cause I was thinking 'bout it how our enemies acted and 'bout what I might have done if it had gone the other way. You see, some of the orcs and trolls killed themselves, and a few of the Men threw down their weapons and surrendered, but most of the Haradrim and Easterlings fought on. You knew they had to know the tide had turned against them, with the Dark Lord gone, but they just kept on fighting, like it had been so long since they'd done anything else, they didn't know how to stop."

"No, love, I don't want to rest at all. Good of you to ask, though. You're a mighty good woman, love."

"Now, I'm just telling the truth, I am. You are a good woman. There's no need for you to go getting all weepy."

"That's better. Now, let's get on with it. Everybody ready? Good. I'm mighty proud of how all of you are listening.

"Next, the Wizard called an Eagle to him. They say it was Gwaihir the Lord of the Great Eagles. He lifted The Wizard up and they flew off toward the South with two more Eagles behind them.

"The captains asked for volunteers to go on into Mordor to destroy the great fortresses there, but I didn't have the courage or the heart to go. The king is a healer and was needed on the Fields of Cormallen; he stayed behind, so I did, too. But I was in the battle as long as there was an Easterling or a Haradrim to fight, I was! And after that I helped look for the injured and …well, whatever needed doing. I was there when the Dwarf found one of the Halflings pinned under a troll carcase. The Halfling had killed that big old troll, he had! Those little men have big hearts. You remember that!

"Well, when we'd done all we could, we moved to Ithilien and we stayed there a long time, waiting for the sick and injured to be well enough to travel. Last of those to join us were those who went into Mordor, but they say when the captains and the first of the host arrived, the Wizard was already there with the Halflings Frodo and Sam. The Eagles had picked them up from near Mount Doom and delivered them there. They'd been bad injured and slept for many days, but when they were able to join us, we cried out 'Long live the Halflings!' and 'Praise the Ring-bearers', while horns and trumpets were sounded.

"You have a question, daughter?"

"What is a Ring-bearer? Oh, child, that's the tale 'fore this tale. A big part of it, I didn't know 'til we were in Ithilien. You see a long, long time ago, the Dark Lord helped the elves in the making of great rings. Three of the rings went to the elves, seven to the dwarf lords and nine to men. Each ring had the power to help the person who wore it…the ring-bearer…rule their race. But in secret, Sauron made another ring, a master of the other rings, in the fires of Mount Doom.

"Sauron was a wizard, a disgraced wizard, he was. He hated elves and he feared men. When he went among them, he called himself by a different name, so he could earn their trust. I heard it meant Lord of Gifts.

"Anyway, when Sauron wore the One Ring…the master ring…he knew what the wearers of the other rings were doing and he could even rule their thoughts! But the three elves who wore Rings of Power sensed that and they took their rings off and hid them from him. It made Sauron so mad that he declared war on them, he did, and he used the other Rings of Power to pretty much make slaves of the dwarves and men who wore them.

"Those Nazgul we talked 'bout…that was all that was left of the nine men, the Ring-wraiths, who wore the Rings of Power…pure evil. As far as anyone knows, most of the dwarf lords that wore the rings were killed by dragons."

"Now, love, I've already said I'll get up with them if they have bad dreams; but the dragons are gone and the Nazgul are gone and the Dark Lord is gone, so there's no need for bad dreams. We wouldn't have told them all this if the Dark Lord still lived, so we ought to be glad Arda is a save enough place now we can finally tell the, we ought!

"Anyway, Sauron went to war, and some fell to him, but some fought him, just like we did. It was the last time Elves and Men fought side by side 'til our battle at the Black Gate. They called it an alliance.

"The war 'tween Sauron and the Alliance came to a head at Dagorland. They say the only race that didn't fight on both sides during that battle was Elves. Men, Dwarves, even birds and beasts were divided; some fighting on one side, some on the other, but the elves all fought against the Dark Lord.

"They say it was a sight to see, those elf lords and lords of men fighting together. They fought for over seven years, they did, and many died. It looked like the Alliance had the victory; things were so bad the Dark Lord himself joined the fight. He killed Gil-galad, the leader of the elves, and Elendil, the leader of the men, and Elendil's sword broke when he fell., it did. Isildur, Elendil's son, grabbed the hilt of his father's sword, and with what was left of the blade, cut the One Ring from Sauron's hand. Sauron fled and wasn't seen or heard of for a long, long time. The Dark Tower was destroyed and Men guarded Mordor. The sons of Elrond say that their father and Lord Cirdan told Isildur he should throw the One Ring into the fires of Mount Doom, but he wouldn't do it, and he wouldn't give it to them for them to do it either, he wouldn't.

"When Isildur was killed by orcs, the One Ring went missing and no one knew where it was 'til 'bout 20 years ago, The Wizard figured out it was in the Shire. So, there was this meeting to decide what the free folk ought to do 'bout the Ring. Remember, we heard rumors Lord Boromir was looking for an elven valley? Well, that's where the meeting was! They decided to send the One Ring to Mordor to be thrown into the fires of Mount Doom. Nine Walkers - the Fellowship - set out from Rivendell, one for each of the nine Riders, the Nazgul. Lord Boromir was one, the wizard Mithrandir, the dwarf Gimli, Prince Legolas, the halfling Frodo, who was the Ring-bearer, Merry and Pippin, the two Halflings who rode with us to the Black Gate, Frodo's gardener, Sam, and King Elessar, who was a Ranger from the North back then.

"They went through all kinds of horrible times, but you probably heard 'bout all that. How they found some of the dwarf's kin dead in Moria, where a troll attacked the Ring-bearer and the Wizard fought a Balrog. Lord Boromir was killed at Amon Hen, but they say he slew a field full of orcs 'fore an archer got him. That's where Merry and Pippin were captured by the orcs, and where Sam and Frodo left the others. From there, they set out for Mount Doom and the rest of the Fellowship hadn't seen them since, 'til Ithilien.

"Now, like I was saying, when they were well enough to join us, we cried out 'Praise the Ring-bearers', and sounded horns and trumpets. The king knelt to Sam and Frodo and sat them up on the throne and cried out 'Praise them with great praise!' When a minstrel from Gondor sang of Frodo, Sam laughed and said how all his wishes had come true and then he cried, he did, and so did we all. When the minstrel finished singing, we had a great feast. The king observed the Standing Silence, he did. The Fellowship visited together apart from the rest of us, and as I was bedding down, I heard Prince Legolas singing. It was a blessed time, it was. There were trees all around, and flowers and the sound of the stream and, of course, the sun. Wasn't the sun amazing, love? But, even with all that, we just wanted to get home to our families and see you all again. But none of us wanted to leave the ones behind who had been less lucky than us and we wanted them to be really ready to travel, so we waited and we sang and feasted and we shared stories.

"When we finally started back, we sailed from Cair Andros to Osgiliath. After a day there, we came to the Pelennor fields and when we saw the White City again, there was hardly a dry eye, so glad was we all to be seeing her again. Well, the rest of it you saw, you did, so there's no point telling you what you already know.

"Battle isn't a glorious thing in itself. I hope you don't never have to fight, son. It isn't something to laugh at or to take joy in. Killing is something we do 'cause we have to, not 'cause we want to. But everyone pulling together like we did…that was might special and I was proud to be part of it, I was. All the good folk of Middle Earth took a stand together against the evil and we won…together. And the man who led us is a good man and he'll be a fine king, he will. You all remember that should any say different! He'll take good care of us, he will. Like the Wizard said, may the days of the king be blessed."

The End


End file.
